


I Will Still Feel All Free

by lonesomewriter



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Actors, Childhood, M/M, Not Beta Read, Tachibana Makoto is Perfect, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Trans!Haru, they're about six in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-08-10 19:30:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20140792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonesomewriter/pseuds/lonesomewriter
Summary: When a child actress suddenly falls ill in the morning of the commercial shooting Haru's mother is the main actress of, Haru has to fill in the role of the starry-eyed girl. But Haru isn't too fond of swirling in the ill-fitting dress, he is a boy after all! But his mother already promised him mackerel for dinner, so he has to endure. But when the other boy child actor appears, the whole day turns just a little bit more tolerable.((Love Stage!! AU of sorts, but Haru is actually trans and not crossdressing))





	I Will Still Feel All Free

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Writer's Month](https://writersmonth.tumblr.com/) day 6 prompt: kids ^^
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!

The dress was  _ ugly _ . Haru wheezed faintly as he tugged at the flounce sleeves, his skin sticky from the sweat rolling down his back, and the hairspray his curled locks had been drowned with was making his nose unbearably itchy. He knew better than to scratch it, as it would  _ ‘ruin his makeup’ _ and make his mother unhappy, which was something Haru did not want to do.

He had originally told his mother he didn’t want to wear the dress, but had agreed after she had promised they could have mackerel for dinner every day for a week if he performed well and didn’t complain.

“Haru, I know you don’t like this, but you’re the only girl around here who’s the proper age,” his mother had said, for which Haru’s expression had darkened noticeably. “I’m sorry, but since Kana fell sick in such a short notice we really don’t have anyone else…”

And so Haru had agreed, but by now he was already regretting his decision. Was a full week of mackerel really worth the discomfort the stupid garment brought him?

He was about to tell his mother that he wouldn’t be able to do this after all, when he heard a small voice from behind him. He turned around, his scowl deepening when he saw the boy, around his age, shifting from one foot to the other while rubbing his neck, his cheeks flushed as he avoided Haru’s eyes.

“He - hey,” the boy repeated, and Haru scoffed. He assumed he was the other actor, and a wave of jealousy pooled in his stomach when he noticed he was wearing a suit instead of dress. Why he was the one who had to suffer, he didn’t understand.

“Haru, please say hello to Makoto!” Haru’s mother had appeared next to her son, making him lift his eyes to meet hers. She was wearing a simple wedding gown, her hair done up and light makeup glowing faintly on her face. But what Haru saw was not her outfit, but the stern look on her face. He returned his gaze to the boy, Makoto, and nodded shortly.

“Hi.”

The boy beamed when he heard Haru’s voice, bowing deeply before offering his hand for Haru to shake, which he took reluctantly. “I’m happy to work with you! My name is Tachibana Makoto, and I promise to take care of you!”

“Haru,” Haru said before dropping his hand from the other’s tight grip. He didn’t like talking, had never seen the appeal of it. But Makoto didn’t seem to care, as he smiled widely, tilting his head slightly while closing his eyes with a light chuckle.

“Okay, it seems like everything’s ready!” someone announced, and suddenly Haru and Makoto were pushed out of the room and towards the set. The filming location was an idyllic church, with beautiful scenery enhanced by the flourishing flower beds and blossoming cherry trees.

The filming had begun, and everything went relatively smoothly for the first hour when Haru wasn’t needed much. The idea of the commercial was to show a pair bonding over some iced tea and then getting married, and on the brink of their happiness they’d barge out of the church and the bride would throw the bouquet in the air, and a little girl on the audience would catch it and then get kissed by a boy. Simple, elegant and utterly  _ boring _ , if anyone was to ask Haru. Which they didn’t.

It was when they begun filming Haru’s reactions that the troubles begun. He was supposed to have a look of wonder on his face when he caught the bouquet, but Haru wasn’t delivering. The dress was tight and it was hot in the church, and he kept catching Makoto throwing weird looks at his way, which only managed to make him more irritated.

The director wept when he realised Haru’s face was getting gradually more angrier the more takes they had to do. After almost an quarter of an hour of unusable footage, they decided to take a break. Haru wanted to get the whole thing done as quickly as possible, but sat down on the church stairs and silently took the offered juice box, sighing happily when the cool liquid went down his throat. He would rather be swimming than in here, he thought, the mere idea of diving head first into the cold water making him sigh longingly. 

“Can I sit here?”

Haru didn’t need to lift his head to know it was Makoto. He shrugged, indicating that he didn’t particularly care where the boy sat. He could almost hear the smile that broke to the boy's face.

“Is the dress too tiny?” Makoto asked after they’d sat in silence for a couple of minutes. The sudden question startled Haru, whose heart jumped to his throat as his hands balled into fists, cold sweat running down his spine as he struggled to find his voice. How had Makoto been able to tell?

“You know, we could ask them for another if that one isn’t the right fit,” the boy continued, seemingly unfazed by Haru’s silence. “You seemed to be irritated back there. It would not be nice if you don’t feel good…”

Haru stared at him with wide eyes, and Makoto returned the gaze with a warm smile. Suddenly his eyes widened, and he stuffed his hands to his pockets, shuffling frantically as if he was searching for something. When he found whatever he had been looking for, his smile split his face, and his sparkling eyes locked with Haru’s. “You know, whenever I’m feeling sad, I hold onto this charm my mother gave me! Here, you can have it for the day, I don’t mind!”

Makoto shoved the thing to Haru’s palm, cupping it before the raven-haired boy had a chance of seeing what it was. Before he could do anything, Makoto was already babbling on, making Haru frown as he struggled to keep up with the fast pace.

“- and that’s why I think it would be okay to take it with me and it’s okay if you don’t want it but I would be very happy if you did, of course I don't want to -”

“Makoto.”

“Huh?” the boy looked sheepishly at Haru, his cheeks tinted pink as his hand found its way to his brown locks. Haru stared at him, unsure of how to thank him for making him feel better. Before he could sort out his thoughts, they were being pulled back into the set and in front of the camera.

Haru’s mother kneeled before her son, fixing his hair with a hint of desperation in her eyes before stroking his cheeks gently. “Haru sweetie, please smile a little for mum, okay? After this is done we can have all the mackerel, you remember? Just be a good girl and it’ll be over soon.”

“Mrs Nanase,” Makoto said when he noticed Haru’s mood dropping the more his mother talked. “I think Haru doesn’t like the dress.”

Haru’s mother chuckled strainedly, wiping invisible dust off Haru’s shoulders before flashing a gentle smile at her son. “It’s okay, Haru. We only need a few good shots, so be sure to smile. Then you can take the dress off!”

The director called everyone to positions, and Haru closed his eyes. He shot them open only seconds later when he realised he was still holding the object Makoto had given him, and gasped when he opened his palm and saw the tiny pearl he had in his palm. It had a deep blue colour, with unique swirls and depth Haru had never seen in a marble before. He pressed it tightly onto his palm, promising himself he wouldn’t lose it no matter what.

He stole a glance at Makoto, his breath hitching when he saw the boy was already looking at him. When their eyes met, Makoto smiled and tilted his head, making Haru’s stomach lurch, and he forced himself to turn away just in time when the director shouted ‘action!’, and soon enough the shooting was in full motion once more.

This time Haru managed to look somewhat happy, and even smiled once or twice when Makoto kept whispering words of encouragements to him between the breaks. By the time they were done with the shooting one and a half hour later, Haru walked to Makoto, handing him back the marble of fortune.

“Thank you,” he said shortly, and didn’t wait for the boy to answer before turning around and running to his mother, ready to rid himself of the hideous dress.


End file.
